Method for increasing safety at a crossing system

Abstract

A method for increasing safety at a crossing system including crosswalk. The method includes: receiving environmental signals representing an environment, including a crossing system, of a motor vehicle approaching the crossing system and wanting to cross the crossing system; specifying a boundary condition and/or an instruction for action for a crossing system maneuver to be planned for the motor vehicle on the basis of the environmental signals; planning a crossing system maneuver for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals including ascertaining a target trajectory, fulfilling the specification, for the motor vehicle based on the specification, wherein, if no target trajectory fulfilling the specification can be ascertained for the motor vehicle, the planning includes using a relaxed, at least one boundary condition and/or a relaxed, at least one instruction for action to ascertain a fallback target trajectory fulfilling the relaxed specification; outputting the correspondingly ascertained target trajectory.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for increasing safety at a crossing system including a crosswalk, comprising the following steps:
 receiving environmental signals representing an environment, including a crossing system, of a motor vehicle approaching the crossing system and wanting to cross the crossing system;   specifying at least one boundary condition and/or at least one instruction for action, for a crossing system maneuver to be planned for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals;   planning a crossing system maneuver for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals, wherein the planning includes ascertaining a target trajectory, fulfilling the specification, for the motor vehicle based on the specification, wherein, when no target trajectory fulfilling the specification can be ascertained for the motor vehicle, the planning includes using a relaxed specification including: a relaxed, at least one boundary condition and/or a relaxed, at least one instruction for action, to ascertain a fallback target trajectory fulfilling the relaxed specification; and   outputting the ascertained target trajectory or the ascertained fallback target trajectory.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, when no fallback target trajectory fulfilling the relaxed specification can be ascertained for the motor vehicle, the planning includes using a further and further relaxed specification including: a further and further relaxed, at least one boundary condition and/or a further and further relaxed, at least one instruction for action, until a fallback target trajectory fulfilling the further and further relaxed specification is ascertained or until a fallback target trajectory fulfilling the correspondingly further and further relaxed specification at least to a predetermined extent is ascertained. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein motor vehicle state signals describing a motor vehicle state are received, and wherein the specifying and the planning are carried out based on the motor vehicle state signals. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the specifying is carried out based on a predetermined set of rules including one or more rules for a behavior of a motor vehicle at a crossing system. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, based on the environmental signals, a decision is made as to whether the crossing system is free, wherein, when the decision is made that the crossing system is free, the at least one boundary condition and/or the at least one instruction for action specifies restricting a trip of the motor vehicle to its current lane, wherein, when the decision is made that the crossing system is not free, the at least one boundary condition and/or the at least one instruction for action specifies stopping the motor vehicle in front of a virtual stop line that is located in front of the crossing system in a driving direction of the motor vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the relaxed, at least one boundary condition and/or the relaxed, at least one instruction for action specifies one or more of the following specifications in each case: (i) stopping in front of a virtual stop line that is located on the crossing system; (ii) stopping in front of a virtual stop line that is located on the crossing system and in front of a pedestrian wanting to cross the crossing system; (iii) driving around a pedestrian without collision; (iv) braking at most with a predetermined maximum deceleration. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein: (i) the further and further relaxed specification is calculated sequentially after feedback that no fallback target trajectory fulfilling the specification or relaxed specification can be ascertained for the motor vehicle, or (ii) the further and further relaxed specification is calculated in parallel so that the further and further relaxed specification is already available for planning the crossing system maneuver. 
     
     
         8 . A device configured to increase safety at a crossing system including a crosswalk, the device configured to:
 receive environmental signals representing an environment, including a crossing system, of a motor vehicle approaching the crossing system and wanting to cross the crossing system;   specify at least one boundary condition and/or at least one instruction for action for a crossing system maneuver to be planned for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals;   plan a crossing system maneuver for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals, wherein the planning includes ascertaining a target trajectory, fulfilling the specification, for the motor vehicle based on the specification, wherein, when no target trajectory fulfilling the specification can be ascertained for the motor vehicle, the planning includes using a relaxed specification including: a relaxed, at least one boundary condition and/or a relaxed, at least one instruction for action, to ascertain a fallback target trajectory fulfilling the relaxed specification; and   output the ascertained target trajectory or the ascertained fallback target trajectory.   
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for increasing safety at a crossing system including a crosswalk, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps:
 receiving environmental signals representing an environment, including a crossing system, of a motor vehicle approaching the crossing system and wanting to cross the crossing system;   specifying at least one boundary condition and/or at least one instruction for action for a crossing system maneuver to be planned for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals;   planning a crossing system maneuver for the motor vehicle based on the environmental signals, wherein the planning includes ascertaining a target trajectory, fulfilling the specification, for the motor vehicle based on the specification, wherein, when no target trajectory fulfilling the specification can be ascertained for the motor vehicle, the planning includes using a relaxed specification including: a relaxed, at least one boundary condition and/or a relaxed, at least one instruction for action, to ascertain a fallback target trajectory fulfilling the relaxed specification; and   outputting the ascertained target trajectory or the ascertained fallback target trajectory.